To Take a Man's Life
by Zutara-forever17
Summary: AU set right after The Southern Raiders. A different take on the final battle between Aang and Ozai. What if Aang had taken the Fire Lord's life, never learning energy bending? Personalities shift, relationships change, and a water bender is drove into the arms of a fire bender. Zutara. May contain The Search Spoilers. I'm bad at short summaries. Also shaky on the title.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. Zutara-forever17 here. So hi. I'm back. It's been like two years and I'm here with new ideas and content. **

**This is the first chapter of a new story I'm starting. Few disclaimers: I do not own any part of Avatar: The Last Airbender whatsoever. I wish I did, but I don't. However I do own the ideas that blossom in my head. So I'm publishing them, cause I really miss writing on this site and people to seem to actually like what I write. But I'm not continuing old stories. Repeat: ****_I'm not continuing old stories. _**

**But yeah. Here's a new story for y'all. My writing is MUCH better. So I hope the people who fanned me years ago still get updates/e-mails and enjoy my new stuff! And maybe I'll attract new fans? Who knows.**

**Some notes on this story: It's 3rd person limited omniscient, liming to the mind of Zuko. It's literally the last minute or two of the Southern Raiders. There's some same lines/scenes from the show, but not a lot. More like based around it, with other ideas/concepts intertwined. That's the best I can explain. (****_Italicized font are flashbacks). _**** Enough about me babbling on and on, go ahead and read!**

* * *

While Katara hugged Zuko as a sign of her trust, he savored the feeling of her compassionate touch. Letting him hold her by the waist allowed Zuko to enjoy the feeling of what he considered to be a real hug from a woman. As she broke away, she looked up at the fire bender. With a smile, she walked past him down the boardwalk, feeling his golden eyes follow her.

Zuko's smile slowly faded as he spoke to Aang, keeping his eyes on Katara, "You were right about what Katara needed. Violence wasn't the answer."

Aang softly smiled at the fire bender's acknowledgment to his previous wise words, "It never is."

Turning towards Aang, Zuko's voice suddenly grew dark, "Then I have a question for you: What are you going to do when you face my father?"

Aang's face was struck worried. He looked down at the boards that held them above the water, avoiding Zuko's gaze. The air bender thought for a moment, as Zuko waited for an answer.

Finally, Aang spoke, "I…don't know."

Zuko's voice rose slightly, "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I'm not sure," Aang said worriedly, avoiding eye contact with the fire bender at all costs. Zuko, however, stared down at the young boy, clenching his jaw in annoyance. The thought of Aang not having a plan, days before Sozin's Comet, made him feel many mixed emotions, mostly anger, fear, and annoyance .

After a tense silence, Aang cautiously spoke, "I actually had an idea—"

"What is it?" Zuko demanded, cutting him off.

"Well," Aang reached up to rub his neck as he glanced at the water around them, "I think I'm going to wait until _after _Sozin's Comet to fight the Fire Lord."

Zuko's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, intending to lash on the air bender with harsh words, but was interrupted by the loud call of a small blind girl, "Hurry up and come fly this furry beast, Twinkle Toes!"

"Whoops! We gotta go! Talk later?" Aang spoke quickly, running past the fire bender, silently thanking the spirits for allowing him to escape this discussion with Zuko. The fire bender squeezed his eyes shut, jaw clenched. He took a deep breath, relaxing himself as he exhaled. He turned towards the group of teens, loading up the bison.

Zuko advanced toward them, helping with the process. He continually cursed under his breath, trying to help get his anger out, without disturbing the others. He would hold things with too much force, and clench his free fists. As much as he tried, the thought of Sozin's Comet never escaped Zuko's mind

* * *

_The Prince proudly entered the all too familiar War Room. _

_It had been over three years since he last sat in this room. Vivid memories flooded his mind as he heard his father speak, "Welcome Prince Zuko. We waited for you."_

_The young Prince walked past the high ranking Fire Nation generals and admirals, making his way to the stairs that led to his seat. It had been perfectly placed at the Fire Lord's right side. It was symbolic. Iconic. To be at the Fire Lord's right hand, this finally gave The Prince the sense of redemption he had always wanted from his father. Although something felt off about it._

_The Prince suddenly felt very aware of the scar on his left eye. He felt a burning sensation, with his left side being closest to the Fire Lord. The memory ripped through his mind and he resisted reaching up to touch the burned skin. Instead, he simply blocked out the sounds of one of the generals relaying his report and merely spaced out. _

_However, he was suddenly called to attention by his father: "Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Do you think that adding more troops will stop these rebellions?"_

_The Prince thought carefully before he answered his father. The last time he had spoken during a war meeting, he had been burned for his words, by his own father, the Fire Lord. The chain of events had been so horrid, and yet they led him back to a similar position. Finally, The Prince replied in a manner most careful and thoughtful, being sure to keep truth within his statement, "The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything as long as they have hope."_

_The Fire Lord began to smile; a villainous plan began to formulate in his mind, "Yes, you're right," then his voice grew dark, "We need to destroy their hope."_

_The Prince's heart lurched. He suddenly felt a sense of protection for the Earth Kingdom, and its people. He spoke before thinking, "Well, that's not exactly what I—"however he was cut off before anyone would realize what he had been thinking. _

_The Princess spoke, with much confidence, "I think you should take their precious hope, and the rest of their land, and burn it all to the ground." The Prince then realized she had potentially just saved him. Whether it was on purpose, or accident, he was not sure. Had he finished his thought, he could have easily earned himself a second scar. He wasn't sure what he would have said, but he knew it was in the direction of helping the Earth Kingdom, and hindering the Fire Nation. The Princess may have purposely interrupted, or she may have simply wanted her father to hear her instead. Perhaps she just didn't want her brother to speak, because she didn't really like him. Whatever it had been, The Prince silently thanked her._

_The Fire Lord smirked as he glanced at his daughter, "Yes, yes you're right Azula. Sozin's Comet is almost upon us." The great leader stood, making his way down the steps, "On that day will endow us with the strength of a hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us."_

_"What are you suggesting, sir?" A general asked._

_"When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom…permanently." Fire Lord Ozai made his way onto the table map of the Earth Kingdom, "From our air ships, we will rain fire over the lands. A fire that will destroy everything, and out of the ashes, a new world will be born. A world in which all the lands are Fire Nation and I am the supreme ruler of everything!" _

_The great lord threw his arms up in triumph. The generals and admirals applauded the man's genius plan. The Princess, with a smirk, crossed her arms, knowing she would get to take responsibility for this plan. The Prince merely closed his eyes in shame. _

_He wanted to speak out against this awful plan, and was ashamed to say he didn't._

* * *

Appa roared as the gang sailed off in the twilight air. Aang sat on the bison's head to guide the great beast; Sokka and Suki cuddled in the back of the saddle, while Toph, Zuko, and Katara sat scattered about.

Zuko stared down as the world grew further away. He was dreading their destination: Ember Island. To be more specific: his old summer vacation house. He informed Aang about its desertion, indicating it will be a good hiding spot to prepare for Sozin's Comet. However this was before Aang had his own information to share: the fact that he wanted to wait until _after_ Sozin's Comet to fight the Fire Lord. Aang's telling of that caused Zuko to remember that memory: the memory of his last war meeting, just a day before he decided to join this group. This odd, yet captivating group.

He could not deny the talent among the young benders. They had eluded him many times. Two very particular memories came to him at the thought of that: The North Pole, and Ba Sing Se. Both incidences were very critical times in the young fire bender's life. He leaned against the edge of the saddle, closing his eyes, remembering the cold tundra during the blizzard. One of the closest, and yet furthest chances he had to deliver Aang to the Fire Lord. Since joining the group, he thanked the spirits every day from preventing him to do so. He now realized that had he done that, they would not be in the position they were today.

The former Prince then remembered that night in Ba Sing Se, beneath the city in the Crystal Catacombs. That long talk he had with Katara, which eventually led to her mentioning the spirit water. He still wondered to this day why on earth she would offer to heal his ugly scar. He was very happy she hadn't; Aang would have died had he not interrupted the two just before she was going to use it.

He opened his eyes again. They were now above the clouds, putting the earth out of sight. Zuko leaned away from the edge of the saddle, turning to look at the rest of the group. Suki had now settled into Sokka's chest, and both were asleep. Toph faced away from the rest of the group, gripping onto the saddle for dear life, and Katara was organizing the things in her bag. Zuko smiled slightly, shifting his gaze to Aang, who had now leaned against the bison's back, his knees pulled into his chest. The small smile disappeared, as the fire bender scooted towards the young air bender.

"Aang—"He began.

"Zuko, please, I'm in no mood to get yelled at." Aang looked over his shoulder a bit, his face clearly indicating he really was in no mood.

"I wasn't going to yell at you," the fire bender muttered, annoyed.

"Can we just talk about this later?" Aang snapped.

Zuko sighed. He wanted to shout, but made sure to speak softly, "I just think you should be prepared as soon as possible."

"I just don't want to talk right now! Okay?" Aang spoke a bit too loudly, catching the attention of Katara. She quickly took the empty space besides Zuko, "What's going on?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Aang responded quickly. Katara gave him a look. She knew he was lying. She didn't need Toph's magic lie detecting powers to know that. She then, in turn, directed her attention to Zuko, knowing he wouldn't lie to her (if he knew what was good for him).

"I found out that Aang is going to wait until _after _the comet to fight the Fire Lord."

Katara's expression softened, "Oh, that…yeah. He is. I guess we should have told you…" her voice trailed off. Her eyes adverted to her knees, avoiding Zuko's hardening expression. He opened his mouth to speak but was without words.

After gathering his thoughts, he spoke quietly, but in a harsh tone, "What made you think you could just put off telling me this? I was the Fire Nation Prince! Did you ever consider asking me about my father's plans? I—"

"Did you ever consider telling us them anyway?" Katara snapped.

"Well you don't tell me anything! Why should I tell you anything?" his voice grew very loud. His eyes pierced angrily into Katara's. Finally, Toph had enough, "Will you two old ladies stop bickering and just tell each other all this secret information?" Both Zuko and Katara snapped their heads in Toph's direction, even though in the back of their minds, they knew she couldn't see the annoyed expressions painted on their faces.

Katara took a deep breath, calming herself. Through gritted teeth, she spoke, "I'm sorry we didn't brief you on our plans Zuko. Could you care to brief me on your father's?"

"You mean us." Aang said quietly.

"What?" Katara said, as both she and Zuko turned their full attention on Aang.

"He should tell _us_ his dad's plans. I mean, Zuko is not just talking to you…" his voice trailed off; he regretted even pointing out this petty pronoun mistake in the first place.

"Um…yeah…" Katara said slowly, her eyes sliding back to Zuko, "Could you care to brief _us _on your father's plans?"

Zuko straightened himself, "Yes, I will brief _both _of you on my father's plans." Aang felt as if he was being made fun of, but forced the thought away, making sure to pay attention to Zuko's words.

"The day before the eclipse, my father asked me to attend an important war meeting. It was what I dreamed about and wanted for so many years. My father had finally accepted me back—"

"We don't need your life story, Sparky!" Toph shouted. Her loud, rowdy voice awakened the couple in the back. Sokka quickly pulled his boomerang out of its sheath on his back, "What? What's going on?" he said tiredly.

"Zuko is informing us on his father's plans," Katara answered. Suki carefully removed the boomerang from Sokka's hand and up it back in its sheath. She repeated what Katara said to him, and he suddenly felt very awake, "Ooh! Well tell us!" he shouted.

Zuko rolled his eyes as he looked down at his legs, which had been folded Indian-style. He took a deep breath and began his story again, taking out the part in which he was apparently telling his life story: "The day before the eclipse, my father had asked me to attend an important war meeting. After one of the generals began relaying his report about troops in Ba Sing Se, my father asked me how to stop Earth Bender rebellions. I told him that Earth Benders were strong and proud, and could never be knocked down as long as they had hope—"

"I wouldn't say hope exactly. We just don't like being knocked down." Toph cut him off. Zuko considered it, but thought that Toph had a lot of hope; she was just too tough to admit it. He then continued, "Yes, well, Azula suggested that we…that they burn everything to the ground. My father said specifically said they would rain fire down over the Earth Kingdom, completely destroying _everything._ Just…burning the world to the ground."

Katara gasped, "You're exaggerating, right?"

Zuko's voice became very grim, "I wish I was. But I'm not." He turned to Aang, looking him directly in the eye, "If you wait to save the world until after the comet comes, _there won't be a world to save._"

Aang's expression grew more and more terrified with each word Zuko spoke. He fell back onto Appa's head, placing his hand on his forehead. Katara covered her mouth in shock. Sokka held Suki closer to him, speechless. Even Toph had fallen back into the saddle, releasing her death grip on the edge. She frowned, wishing she could knock the head off of the Fire Lord, right here and now. Zuko scowled, "I should have said something, during the war meeting, but I'm ashamed to say I didn't."

"Yeah, why didn't you?" Toph demanded. Zuko stared at her. He hadn't thought about the fact that no one in the gang knew _how _he had gotten his scar, much less that Toph even knew he _had_ one. He thought about how he got it every day, without fail, but he never considered that while _he _knew all too well what happened, no one else actually knew how he got his scar.

Suddenly everyone's eyes were on him. He needed to explain fast, "I…It just…"

"It's okay, you don't need to explain," Katara said softly. She avoided Zuko's shocked expression. However it quickly disappeared. He was just glad that no one was demanding an answer regardless of what Katara had said, though he noticed Toph's deep scowl from being deprived of the information.

After several minutes of silent, Aang finally spoke, "What am I going to do?"

Katara thought for a moment, and then smiled, speaking confidently, "_You're _going to face the Fire Lord...with _us!_"

"What?" Zuko and Aang said in unison.

"We can work together!" She explained.

"Yeah!" Sokka agreed, "Team Avatar will show that Jerk Lord whose boss!"

"But, Aang's destiny…"Zuko began.

"…May be to defeat the Fire Lord, but who says we all can't help him?" Katara finished.

"I guess…" Zuko said slowly.

"No, I can't ask any of you do this." Aang spoke with conviction.

"Come on Twinkletoes—"Toph said, but was cut off.

"No! I refuse to put any of you in danger! The Fire Lord is _my _fight. I won't let you do this." Aang's voice was breaking. Katara moved close to him, placing her hand on his shoulder, forcing the conversation to become personal: between her and Aang only. She looked him in his big gray eyes.

"Aang, I know that this is your destiny, but we need you, and you need us. If we fight together, then there's no chance he can win, right?"

Aang smiled a little, "I guess."

"Let us help you, and we'll show that Fire Lord what _real _bending is like. I'll personally water whip that Fire Nation grin off his smug face." She gave him a devious grin. The young air bender, in turn, smiled wider. But it disappeared, speaking in a very serious tone, "Fighting the Fire Lord is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done…" his voice lightened, "But I wouldn't want it any other way."

Katara hugged him, immediately attracting the rest of the group, except Zuko, to join in the on the hug. As they embraced, Katara noticed Zuko's absence. She extended one free arm, "Come on Zuko, being a part of the group means being a part of group hugs, too."

Her warm smile and gesture made Zuko's cheeks turned bright pink. He thanked the spirits that the darkening sky hid his blush. He scooted towards his new group of friends, placing an arm around Suki's shoulders—and the other arm around Katara's waist. The fire bender did not consciously do this, yet the water bender he held did not fail to notice. Just then, the group simultaneously broke a part, shifting back to their spots on the saddle.

As Zuko turned he caught a glimpse of a blush upon Katara's cheeks, meaning it must have been deep or he shouldn't have been able to see it with the darkness taking over.

Zuko leaned over the edge of the saddle, locking his gaze on the darkened clouds below, not moving a muscle until his furious blush faded away.

* * *

The gang arrived at Ember Island at dawn. Katara helped bend the cloud cover around Appa, moving in like a crisp, early morning fog.

Although the sun had hardly risen, Zuko could feel his body heating quickly, soaking in the soft rays of sun. He breathed deeply, feeling his energy restore, even though he didn't really sleep on their journey there.

The island grew larger and larger as they approached it. Zuko directed Aang to his summer home, which hadn't taken long to locate. A long path that went uphill, led to a beautiful home, built into a slanted rock face. The roof was crimson red, with golden trimmings. The walls were made of stone, with wooden pillars supporting the roof, creating a porch in the front, which led to large wooden front doors.

While the house was indeed beautiful, it was now littered with green moss and elongated grass. Though, the surrounding palm trees and natural rock, along with a wonderful overview of the beach, still held the beautiful view. Katara and Suki were now leaned far over the bison's saddle, smiling brightly at the wonderful view.

Appa landed in the center court yard, behind the house. The rock face penned it in, forming a perfect square with the other three sides of the house. As they exited the bison's back, Katara and Suki marveled in the elegant architecture.

"Wow! This is beautiful!" Suki exclaimed.

"It's run down," Zuko replied, while helping unload. Toph jumped onto the stone ground, making feet prints in the earth during the process, "It's kind of empty."

"Empty?" Katara questioned, "This is the Fire Lord's summer home. It's probably full of beautiful furniture! And comfy beds!"

"Agh! A bed! Finally!" Sokka rejoiced, not failing to give Suki a special glance. Zuko rolled his eyes at the two, carrying some of the bags towards a hall that lined the courtyard. He noticed vines that were now coiling around the wooden pillars, and the grass poking through the tiles of stone. He walked up the few steps that led to an open hallway. Turning on his heel to the left, he quickly strode down the hall, through a large arch into the house. He winced at the memories flooding through his mind. He stopped for moment, deeply breathing to clear his mind, and continuing into the house.

The young fire bender followed the familiar walls, knowing exactly where he was headed. He entered a bedroom: the arch which led into the room was made of the same stone as the exterior. Ripped red curtains hung only about a foot down the eight foot tall arch. Zuko remembered Azula tearing them down while searching for things to burn in their beach fire. Only now, in the light, did he realize what room she had gotten it from: their mother's.

Zuko frowned, stepping into the room. It was rather small; one carved out stone window, with a queen size bed nearby. The blankets were wrinkled and a dusty red. The bed was slightly elevated, for the floor had one six inch step, about halfway in. A dresser sat against the right wall, a mirror attached. The wood that boarded the mirror, and made up the dresser, had carvings of majestic dragons. Zuko crossed to the dresser, wiping off some of the dust on top. He placed a bag on top of it, his bag, and looked up into the mirror.

His heart pounded, as he allowed the memories to flood through.

* * *

_"Mommy! Azula is being mean!" the young toddler shouted, running as fast as his little legs could carry him. He pushed aside the red curtains into his mother's room. She had been sitting upon her bed, arms outstretched, waiting for her crying son to run into her arms. He fell into them, sobbing._

_"What's the matter, Zuko?" she asked softly, stroking her son's hair._

_"Azula fire bended at me! She burned me!" he outstretched his little hand, exposing a light burn mark. It wasn't much, yet the pain was still very true. The mother gasped, gently taking hold of his hand. His lip quivered as the tears rolled. _

_"What happened?" she asked._

_"I was playing with Azula on the beach with daddy," the mother frowned," and she fire bent at me! I tried to stop it but it burned me! She's so mean!"_

_"Zuko," she cooed, "Your sister is just over two years of age! She couldn't help it." His mother explained, but she even didn't believe her words. A child that young already learning of a power such as that was rare, and frightening to her. Even Zuko had just barely learned of his ability. _

_"No! She did it on purpose!" he yelled. She picked up the toddler, cuddling him._

_"It's going to be okay, Zuko, I promise." She stroked his hair again. She took his hand again and examined the burn, "Why don't we go tell daddy so he can have someone fix you up?" she asked cheerfully._

_The toddler smiled through his tears. He sniffled, "Okay."_

_His mother stood and adjusted his position in her arms. She pushed the red curtains aside and headed down the hall. Out through an arch, she came into the courtyard. Her husband sat near a fountain, cradling his daughter in his arms. As she approached him, he looked back smiling, and yet at the sight of his crying son, he frowned._

_"Ozai, why didn't you do anything when Azula burned Zuko?" she asked sternly. _

_He chuckled, "What do you mean? He wanted to run crying to you. I let him. Meanwhile, our two year old daughter is already bending! It's marvelous!" he held his daughter closer. Her tiny hands grabbed at his long goatee._

_"That may be, but your son is hurt! Can you call a healer here?"_

_He sighed, "Is that what you want me to do?"_

_She frowned, "You should do it without you wanting me to!" her voice rose. Her son began squirming in her arms. She ignored him as he began demanding to be let down. _

_"He's a coward! The boy needs to learn how to be strong! How will he ever be a good Fire Lord?" Ozai's voice began rising as well._

_"He's only four!" She shouted._

_"Mommy let me down!" Her son pleaded._

_"There have been Fire Lords who had to take control at the age of five!" He argued._

_"That's absurd! Zuko will never have to take the throne! Azulon is still alive and healthy! And Iroh is next in line to be Fire Lord. Not you!" The mother was shouting. Her son fell out of her arms, landing on his elbows. He screamed at the pain. She gasped, crouching to his side, "Zuko I—"he cried and ran out of the courtyard. Yet, what the mother hadn't realized was that her son hid behind a wooden pillar, listening to the rest of the conversation._

_ She looked up at Ozai. His eyes were wide with anger. He closed them, set his daughter beside him, and stood._

_Fists clenched, he breathed steam out through his nostrils, and spoke quickly and quietly, "I'll call in a privet healer. You will forget any of this happened, if you know what's good for you."_

_"You can't keep scaring me into doing things. I didn't even want thi—"_

_"You will forget this ever happened, __**if you know what's good for you.**__" He began to walk away. As he brushed past her he added, "Or him."_

_She turned defiantly as he passed her, "You bas—"_

_He turned and slapped her, "Silence! You will learn to respect your husband. Or else suffering will be your teacher."_

_He continued walking towards the courtyard hallway. The young toddler saw his father coming and ran, ran quickly, straight into his mother's room. The only place on Ember Island that he ever truly felt comfort, and safety._

* * *

Zuko sighed heavily.

"Who is—was—_him?_" he asked quietly to himself.

"Zuko? What are you talking about?" he jerked around suddenly to see Katara and the archway.

* * *

**Welp, that's it for the first chapter. It's a bit shorter than I had hoped, but I hope it hooks a few readers. And I do hope a review here and there will encourage it to continue! **

**I really want to make a good comeback with real stories and ****_real _****lengths. My old stories were like five pages or less in length. Pfft. This one is ten, but I could do better. **

**So yeah, Hello again Fanfiction! I'm happy to be back! :D**

**P.S. I hope no one is out of character :x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Erm, I'm really sorry it took me so long .**

**Few notes before you read:**

**-I've really been inspired by the author Fandomme (I'm sure most of you know her). If I hadn't read her stories, I may not have started writing again. Stormbenders was truly fantastic! (currently reading Ozai's Vengeance).**

**-Okay, so it's not really Third Person Limited Omniscient to just Zuko, it's more Third Person Omniscient. Sorry if that bothers anyone. .-.**

**-Thanks to CastielWingchester for being my first reviewer! And to Yusuke Urameshi - Mazuko for being my second!**

**-Speaking of reviews, I don't like to be the whiny author that begs for reviews, but listen my fellow fans, the reviews ****_do _****help. A lot. I need to know what you think! And how I can be better! I cannot write a good story with this important feedback. You may favorite or follow, but that doesn't tell me much. I wanna hear your opinion! It matters, trust me, it does!**

**-I used some lines from the episode The Ember Island players. It helps the flow of this story. I take no credit in the lines from the episode (I'm going to assume you guys know which lines they are). I don't own any of those ideas, but you'll find I have plenty of my own! **

**-Please enjoy chapter two!**

* * *

"Uh…how long have you been standing there?" Zuko asked slowly.

Katara leaned against the archway, lightly holding one arm with the other, "Um well…you were kind of just staring in the mirror then you said something…" she trailed off, lightly blushing. She felt that she had interrupted something she shouldn't, yet she had no idea what that would be.

"Oh…yeah…" he looked around the room, avoiding her gaze—and further discussion on the subject.

"Well…we were kind wondering which room you wanted to stay in. So everyone has—"

"This one," he said quickly.

"Oh, okay. We actually haven't looked much yet. Just was wondering how you were, I mean which room you were planning on claiming, since you did live here during the summers." Katara stumbled over her words. He wondered how someone as strong as her could ever get this jumpy.

"Um, thanks," he replied, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. He noticed her smile a little, only making the grip on his neck harder.

"Was this your room?" she asked, stepping in, away from the archway, smiling, "It looks kind of girly…"

"It was my mom's room," he said suddenly. Her smile disappeared.

"Oh…why did she have a separate room than your dad?" she asked, trying to lighten the conversation.

"They always did?" he said in confusion.

"But…they were married. Yet, they didn't sleep together?" she gave him a puzzled look. He returned it, "I don't know…that's how it had always been. They only ever had s—"

"Okay, okay, I'm good on information," she interrupted, holding her hands up to stop him. He respectively did so, smiling a bit now.

"So…care to show us where the rest of the rooms are? We want to settle in. It's been a long ride." Katara said.

Zuko moved towards her, picking up an extra bag he had, "Sure…I don't even know whose bag this is." He said, holding it up. Katara leaned down and sniffed it. She grimaced, "Sokka's, no doubt."

"That's…" he, too, sniffed the bag, "Gross." She stuck her tongue out, closing one eye, "That's Sokka for you. Thank god Suki can start taking care of him," Katara turned to leave the room, "I'm sick of cleaning his stinky, sweaty clothes."

"This is more than I need to know," Zuko said, following her out. She walked towards the front of the house, making her way to the hall which had led back to the courtyard. Arriving into the light of the outdoors, Aang snapped his head up at the two. He was about to question what took them so long, but was stopped.

"Tour time?" Suki asked hopefully, clapping her hands together.

"Sure," Zuko said nonchalantly, "Oh and Sokka," the fire bender carelessly threw the bag at the young warrior, "Take your smelly bag."

Catching it, Sokka inhaled the scent of his bag deeply. He gagged, "Ick!" Katara rolled her eyes at her brother. Suki joined in on the action as well.

"Alright, let's go," Zuko said, beckoning them to follow. They did so, walking slowly to admire the architecture.

"There used to be a fountain in the courtyard," Zuko said, "Doesn't seem to work now though."

"Maybe Toph and I can fix it up," Katara said brightly, "It would be a good water source for Aang and I to train with."

Aang's face lit up, "Yeah, that's perfect!"

"The courtyard _is_ a good place to practice bending," Toph agreed, "You and Sparky can even fire bend back here."

"You're right," Zuko said, climbing up the few steps to the hall, turning to his left, "I have some new techniques to teach you," he told Aang, "Very important ones."

"Great!" Aang exclaimed, "I can't wait." He caught up to be by Zuko's side as the entered into the house. Zuko pointed to the right; stairs led down to double doors: "There's the front door…" the group noticed a small end table to the left, holding some sort of frame, yet no picture was there. They walked on to turn a corner. He pointed to his mother's room, "That's the room I'm staying in."

A few feet further down, on the right wall, another archway led into a room. It still had its thick red curtains, "That was my father's old room," he explained, "Probably has the biggest bed."

Sokka quickly shoved people aside to poke his head through the curtains. Pulling it back out, he exclaimed, "Suki and I want this room!" no one argued, and figured, might as well. Those two would be the only one's sharing a bed.

As they walked on, they reached another corner in the hallway. On the right side wall and on the back wall were two arches, both with nice red curtains, "Mine and Azula's old room."

"Ooh! I want Crazy's old room!" Toph exclaimed, "I can already tell the bed is _really _nice," she grinned.

"My bed is nice too," Zuko snapped, offended that apparently only his rotten sister and father had comfortable places to sleep.

Katara pulled back into the curtains, looking into Zuko's room, "That bed _does_ look pretty nice," she commented.

"You can stay in there, if you'd like," Zuko told her.

"Wait…whose room are you staying in if not your own?" Aang asked.

"My mother's," he answered. Everyone grew silent.

"Um, is there another room?" Katara asked quietly, "Cause, there's still Aang and me and only one room to sleep in."

"You can stay in there, Katara," Aang said, with uncertainty, "I'll sleep with Appa."

"Oh, alright. Thanks Aang." She replied cheerfully, pushing aside the red curtains.

"I guess we should all settle in, then." Sokka piped up, sliding an arm around Suki's waist. The group dispersed, each gathering the rest of their things. And the longer they stayed, the longer Zuko wished he wasn't there.

* * *

The next morning, Katara called everyone to the courtyard, "Breakfast, everyone! Come and get it!"

Sokka came running down the hall first. He excitedly grabbed the bowl of porridge she had to offer. Suki and Toph were not too far behind; Aang came last, taking the bowl as Katara poured a ladle full of the porridge.

"How are you making this out here?" Suki asked.

"And where's Zuko?" Aang wondered. However just as he said this, Zuko came out into the courtyard, "I found some fruit, could go well with the porridge."

"Zuko helped to heat the water to cook." Katara said, answering Suki's question.

"That was nice of Sparky." Toph said, grinning, "Speaking of nice, give me some fruit, Zuko," she ordered, "This is a bit bland."

Katara frowned, "If you don't like it, don't eat it!"

"Calm down, Sugarqueen. I'm just teasing," Toph replied, half smiling. She held out her hand, waiting for Zuko to give her a slice. He pulled out the dagger he had—the one given to him by his Uncle—and cut a slice out of a green apple. He gently placed it in her hand.

"There you go…shorty." Zuko tried to smile.

"Leave the nicknames to me, hotstuff." Toph said, holding a finger up to where she thought Zuko's face was. However she pointed to a wooden pillar.

"Hotstuff…?" Suki slowly smiled, giving Toph a look. The young earth bender's cheeks turned a light pink.

"Hey, he's a fire bender, isn't he? _And_ he's made of stuff. So, he's hot stuff. Get it?" She calmly spoke, but she felt embarrassed. She didn't have to see to know that Zuko was attractive. The racing hearts of girls who saw him was enough to give that away.

"Thanks Toph," Zuko said quietly, handing her another apple slice. He dropped two other slices in his own breakfast.

"Hey, Sokka, do you think you could go pick up some food in town?" Katara asked, "We don't have much here."

Sokka groaned, "Why can't _you _do it?" he set his bowl aside and fell back onto the ground.

"We have to train with Aang," she said, sitting up straighter, crossing her arms. Sokka groaned again, much louder.

"I'll go with you," Suki told him. He shot straight back up, "Well, alright, I guess if Suki's going…" he leaned against her shoulder.

"Jeez Sokka. I'm only asking you to go shopping," Katara huffed.

"Yeah, we don't need to see your PDA." Toph said, trying to hide a smile at her little joke.

"You can't even see!" Sokka shouted, throwing his arms in the air.

Her small smile turned into a grin, "Got me there, Sokka." Her smile faded, "But I can _feel everything _you guys do."

The two of them blushed, happy that at least Toph couldn't see, or feel, that happening. The group settled into an awkward silence, broken by an even _more _awkward clearing of a throat.

"So Aang," Zuko began, "We should continue your training as soon as possible."

"Sure thing, Sifu Hotman!" Aang said cheerfully.

"Alright," Zuko said, setting his breakfast down. He stood up and began to remove his shirt.

"Whoa, wait, right now?" Aang asked his excitement dropping.

"Sozin's comet is only five days away," the fire bender replied sternly, removing his boots, "It's not gonna wait around while you sadly attempt fire bending."

"Sad attempts! I'm the Avatar! I have the fire bending power of a thousand avatars before me!" Aang stood, kicking his boots off, tugging his shirt off.

"Show me, then!" Zuko ordered, taking a fire bending stance. Aang assumed the same stance, punching his first forward at the other bender, causing flames to follow. Zuko outstretched his arms, gracefully making the flames disappear. He then spun on his left leg while the other swiftly came around, flames following meaning to go in one direction: at the Avatar. Aang deflected the flame with the same, but opposite, motion as Zuko. The young boy then quickly twisted his arm forward, fire manifesting at his fist. Zuko sliced through it, charging towards his student. The young Avatar jumped, kicking his right leg back downward, creating a literal fire wall. The teacher created an "X" with his arms, blocking the fire. He tried to charge forward, yet he was far too close for any real attack. He quickly jumped back, trying to compose himself in time for another attack. Although Aang's hand, palm up, was at Zuko's throat. Zuko's arms: in the air as a sign of defeat. The two stood this way for a moment, and then the fire bending teacher smiled a little, "You're learning well."

Aang returned his small smile with a full on grin, "Flameo, Sifu Hotman!"

Zuko dropped his arms and sighed, "Please, don't call me that!" Aang continued to grin, despite the former Prince's annoyance.

"Well that was an interesting _jerk _bending battle…interesting, but a _short jerk _bending battle. So we're going to go because I do believe we've got to go to the market!" Sokka announced, taking Suki's hand. Zuko shrugged, turning to wipe the sweat off of his forehead. As the couple exited, Aang turned to Zuko, "What else have you got? I'm all _warmed_ up now!"

"You've been spending too much time with Sokka." Zuko said, exasperated. This was probably the 500th fire pun Aang had made since beginning his fire bending training.

"Is he always like this?" Zuko asked Katara and Toph.

At the same time, Katara innocently said, "Like what?" as Toph just answered with a simple "yes."

"Well…" Toph continued, "Not as much with me. I'm a bit more…bracing." Toph's lips formed a sly grin. Katara snorted, "Like Zuko's tea?" Toph and Aang laughed. Zuko frowned, "Hey!"

"I'm just teasing," Katara said, waving her hand. Zuko's frown deepened, "Guess my uncle didn't do a good job of teaching me how to make _tea _well. Sorry."

"Lighten up Zuko. Jeez." Katara replied, crossing her arms.

"Anyways, more about those _flaming _hat tricks!" Aang said cheerfully. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. _It's going to be a long day._

* * *

And the long day only continued to grow longer. Sokka had arrived back from his shopping trip with Suki shouting about a play portraying their journey with Avatar since finding him in the ice berg. He showed off the surprisingly detailed poster of the very event. With the two non-benders insisting on going, the remaining gang put on their fire nation attire and set off for the theater house.

As Zuko and the gang approached said house, he sighed, "I _can't believe _Sokka is dragging us to this play. The Ember Island players are worthless."

"Oh come on Zuko. Give them a chance," Katara reasoned.

"Yeah! What could be cooler than watching people pretending to be us? A blast from the past!" Aang added.

"And you'll all get to relive how _manly _I am!" Sokka said, patting his arm muscles.

"I don't know how many people will think you're manly if they see that I got you to wear a dress," Suki said, snickering.

"Hey!" Sokka shouted, blushing furiously. Everyone but Zuko laughed.

* * *

During the second intermission of the play, Zuko sat, his arms crossed and resting on his knees, Toph standing beside him. Suki and Sokka had just left to sneak backstage, and Aang's whereabouts were unknown (to no surprise). However Zuko assumed that wherever Aang was, Katara was probably with him. He squeezed his biceps, sighing. The memories this play brought back were swirling around in his head like a swarm of buzzard wasps. He squeezed his biceps harder.

"Jeez, everyone's getting so upset about their characters. Even you seem more down than usual, and that's saying something!" Toph observed.

"You don't get it," Zuko began, "it's different for you. You get a muscly version of yourself, taking down ten bad guys at once, and making sassy remarks," he continued, referring to the overly muscled man that was portraying Toph.

"Yeah," she said cheerfully, "That's pretty great!"

"But for me, it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life, and shoves them back in my face," Zuko spoke with regret. He spoke again, more softly, "My uncle…he's always been on my side, even when things were bad. He was there for me, he taught me so much, and how to I repay him? With a knife in his back. It's my greatest regret, and I may never get to my redeem myself."

Toph slid down beside Zuko. She smiled gently, revealing held back information: "You _have _redeemed yourself to your uncle. You don't realize it, but you already have."

Zuko gave her a puzzled look, even though she could not see it, "How do you know?"

"Because I once had a long conversation with the guy, and all he would talk about was you."

"Really?" Zuko asked, hopeful.

"Yeah, and it was kind of annoying." Toph said flatly.

"Oh…sorry," Zuko slumped back, annoyed slightly with Toph.

"But it was also very sweet," She added quickly. He smiled as she continued talking, "All your uncle wanted for you was to find your own path, and see the light. Now you're here with us. He'd be proud." She smiled, and then forcefully punched him the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Zuko demanded, rubbing his freshly punched arm.

"That's how I show affection." She said a small smile and a very light blush on her cheeks. Zuko forgave her silently, leaning back against the wall. He heard a child running by. To his horror, the child stopped, bent over, taking a good look at Zuko's face, "Your Zuko costume's pretty good, but your scar's on the wrong side." The boy gestured to the supposed "correct" side, and then ran off. Zuko shouted as the boy ran, "The scar's not on the wrong side!" He then pulled his hood far over his face in order to hide it.

Toph frowned beside him, "Hey, Zuko?"

"What?" he said annoyed. But not with her; he was annoyed with the boy. He was annoyed with this play.

"Um, what does he mean 'scar'? And with it being 'on the wrong side'?"

The fire bender was taken aback. _Of course Toph doesn't know I'm burned. She's blind!_

"Or um, you don't have to tell me…" she trailed off. She had felt his racing heart beat at the mention of his scar.

"No, it's okay," he said quietly, holding her arm by the wrist. He hesitated, but decided to move her hand on the left side of his face, letting her feel it. She began to push her fingers against his skin, but hesitated as well.

"No…It's-it's okay," Zuko repeated, stuttering a bit. He let go of her wrist. She flattened it against his scar; the skin was rough, almost scaly, like a reptile. Toph brushed her thumb under his eye. Zuko breathed deeply, closing his eyes. He should have been thinking of his Father. He should have been thinking of the fact that Toph was feeling his scar. But he wasn't. He was remembering what it felt like when Katara touched his scar. Other than the people who helped patch it up, and heal it, Katara was the only outsider that touched Zuko's scar. And now Toph was, too.

Suddenly her hand dropped, "So…left side is the 'wrong side', eh?" she said, trying to lighten the mood.

"According the playwright." Zuko replied, hugging his knees closer to his chest. Toph lightly leaned against him.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you, Sparky—I mean, Zuko."

"You don't have to call me by my name. Sparky is okay. You don't have to feel sorry either. You don't even know how it happened."

"I'm calling you Zuko to let you know I'm not playing around, or being sarcastic. I mean what I say…at least right now I do. And just because I don't know what happened doesn't mean anything. I know what it feels like to be burned where I'm supposed to be able to see." Toph elbowed him in the ribs, smiling a little. Zuko grunted at the pain, "I'm really sorry about that," he said.

"I know! You've only said it a million times since it happened. And I've accepted your apology about nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine times." She began to grin, elbowing him again. Zuko, yet again, had grunted from the pain.

Although Zuko seemed annoyed with her elbowing, he rather enjoyed Toph. She was a witty girl who could hold her own, even with her being blind. He liked to think if he were really apart of this "family" the gang had, Toph would be like his little sister. But he knew he wasn't; he felt they didn't fully trust him yet, and he wouldn't blame them for that. Zuko went ahead with his retort anyway pretending to be annoyed: "I wish you showing affection didn't have to involve you hurting me."

* * *

Upon returning to the Fire Lord's former summer home, Zuko tapped Katara's shoulder, beckoning her to hang back with him, "I want to talk to you."

"What is it?" she asked, matching his slower pace. Zuko pulled off his hood, revealing his face in the soft moon light.

"Remember when we were on the Southern Raider's ship and we confronted the captain?"

"Yeah…" she said slowly, "What about it?"

"What you did to the captain…what was that?"

Katara stopped walking, just feet away from the front steps into the house. Zuko stood, facing her, his back to the house. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang went inside, probably to go to sleep.

"Oh…It's this water bending technique that I learned from this old woman Hama while we were traveling through the Fire Nation…" she tugged on her hair, looking at the ground. The thought of Hama made her shiver.

"Wait, you learned water bending from a Fire Nation citizen?" Zuko asked, confused.

"Well, she was actually a prison escapee. They had taken her from the Southern Water Tribe."

"Oh." Zuko said quietly, feeling sorry that the people of his nation had just stolen all these water benders. He, too, shivered, but not at the thought of Hama, at the thought that Katara could have been one of those prisoners had her mother not sacrificed herself. In fact, Katara would probably be dead if she was found out at the time. Thinking back to when they confronted Yan Rah, Zuko silently wished he could have taken the bastard's life himself.

"Yeah, well…" Katara said, breaking his train of thought, "She taught me these wonderfully resourceful techniques, like pulling water from plants, even from thin air! But then on the full moon, she taught me a technique she called blood bending."

"Blood bending? So, you bended that guy's blood?" Zuko asked. The idea, even to him, sounded very eerie, and yet he recognized its power.

"Yeah, terrible right? I should have never done it." She said quickly.

"No, that's not what I was thinking," Zuko swallowed, "I mean, you might think it's terrible, but it's not."

"What? How could you say that?" Katara demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"It could be really useful in a dire time." Zuko felt very nervous now. It was the hands on the hips.

"Useful in a dire time? Like when?"

"Like when there's no water!"

"No water, really? There's water in the air!"

"Not with all the fire you're going to encounter. It will be hot and _dry_."

"What about plan—"

"—Or when there's no plants!" He noticed he was shouting. He wished his voice wouldn't get so loud without him wanting it to. He spoke again, much more quietly, "Listen, my father is a very powerful man. If you could blood bend him…it would help tremendously."

"Not really! I can only do it during the full moon!" She shouted back, throwing her arms in the air.

"Well…" Zuko thought for a moment, "You're a master water bender."

Katara's small, smug part of her felt good at the fact that he said it as a statement, rather than a question. Zuko continued: "Maybe if you meditate on it, you can learn how to do it whenever. You've got the full moon for at least tonight and tomorrow night… you should start tonight!"

Katara folded her arms, frowning, "…even if I _did _start tonight, and _if_ I kept trying, I wouldn't have anything, er well, any_one_ to practice on."

"Practice on me." Zuko said suddenly. Then his good eye widened, "I mean, practice blood bending on me—"

"I know what you meant, Zuko," Katara replied. Zuko blushed furiously, hoping that she didn't notice.

They were silent a moment. When he realized she wasn't going to saying anything, he decided to, "Well…? Do you want to try?" Katara turned away from him, arms still folded. Zuko sighed, "Katara, I know this may not be your favorite bending technique, but when it comes to saving the world and the people you love, I think you should be prepared as much as you physically can."

He saw Katara look down. He then continued, "For Aang, for his ensured safety, I think you should try." He took a step closer to her, being prepared to wait several minutes for her answer.

Finally, she spoke, "…maybe you're right." She turned halfway to look at him out of the corner of her eye. Zuko smiled slightly.

"But," she said suddenly, "I want you to really think about what you're offering with letting me practice on you. Being blood bent is not a pleasant experience."

Zuko's good eye widened, "Did that Hama blood bend you?"

"Yes, she did. I never wanted to do it again."

"Well, you don't really have to. I won't make you—"

"You're right though. I really should try. So…" Katara turned to face Zuko full on, "I'm going to try, okay?"

"Wait," Zuko held his hands up. Katara looked taken aback.

"I'm not backing out," he explained, "I just think we should move to the courtyard. Who knows what weirdos could be lurking around outside the Fire Lord's old summer home? The courtyard is secluded."

He turned on his heel, heading towards the front door. She followed him into the house. As they walked through the darkened halls, Katara let her hand trail on them, "Have people broke into this house?" she whispered, not wanting to disturb the others.

"What?" he whispered, glancing over his shoulder to look at her.

"I mean, it seems like a lot of stuff is missing. At least in the main hallway. Plus I noticed the curtains were torn down in the entrance way of your mother's room."

"Oh. Those weren't robbers. It was me and Azula." Zuko simply stated, as if it meant nothing.

"…What did you guys do with it? What did you even take?"

"Just some wooden end tables and some family stuff. We burned it."

"Why?" Katara asked, shocked.

"Because my family has been broken for years. The memories of us being happy don't matter anymore."

"Of course they do!" Katara spoke above a whisper now, becoming frustrated and confused.

"Why? My mother is gone, not sure where. My sister is a liar and hates me. And my father is planning on burning down the world in a few days. I can only think fondly of my mother…and my uncle."

"That's something, isn't it?" Katara tried to cheer him up. Although he saw right through what she said: _That's something. Meaning that's all I have. They really aren't my family. I shouldn't have to been foolish enough to think I could be a part of it._

Zuko broke away from his own thoughts, for he was walking into the soft, yet bright, full moonlight. He strode across the courtyard, and about halfway through, he turned back around to face Katara.

"Go ahead." Zuko relaxed himself, closing his eyes.

"I'm nervous." He heard her say.

"It's okay. Go ahead," he repeated.

He heard her take a deep breath, and he assumed she took a stance. He told himself not to fear how it felt. He trusted that Katara wouldn't intentionally hurt him.

She had actually taken a loose stance. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply once again, and raising her arms. As she opened her eyes, she suddenly felt the total control of his body. Even with it being the official _third_ time she was blood bending, she already felt it was getting easier to do.

Zuko felt his body seize up. He stood on his tip toes with his arms pressed against his sides. He could breathe, but his breathing felt strained. He tried to move, but he couldn't control his muscles. His heart wanted to race, but the blood was strained from moving any faster. He felt as if he may explode at any second. He was literally a puppet with invisible strings.

Slowly, Katara moved her left arm towards her right. Zuko mirrored the movement. The movements made him feel slightly less constricted, but much still a puppet nonetheless. He found speaking, however, surprisingly easy, "Try making me bend."

Katara released her grip; Zuko gasped for air, his heart going into overdrive.

"How? She asked, "I'm not a fire bender!"

"Maybe you can shift my chi paths to my hands, forcing fire. Better yet, you can cut off my chi paths!" he said, actually kind of cheerful.

"I won't do that to you!" she almost shouted.

"Why not? I'm giving you permission!" Zuko argued.

"But…what if I mess up? Make it permanent…"

"Even if you did, and I don't think you will, the power from Sozin's comet will restore it, I'm sure. From what I've learned, the comet brings such intense power; you can literally _feel_ your chi flowing throughout your body. I hear it's surreal."

Katara sighed, "I guess I'll try." Without warning, she invaded Zuko's body again, with her blood bending grip. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the chi paths within his body. To help her do this, she thought of Aang's tattoos. She remembered him telling her once that the arrows followed the main chi paths of the body. And like magic, she saw it. She could feel Zuko's chi swirling in his arms. She imagined it to be red, like fire, since he was a fire bender. Slowly, she moved her hands downward, trying to coax the chi in the same direction. It pooled at his hands, and she heard something; opening her eyes, Katara saw a small flame that manifested in Zuko's hand. He tried to smile, but found it increasingly difficult to move his face muscles. She released her grip, stumbling a bit.

Zuko did the same, "Wow," was all he could say.

"I can't believe that worked. I didn't think I could _make_ people bend!"

"It's amazing," Zuko said, staring at the hand she had just created fire from, "Is it easy? Do you feel like you could do it again?"

"Actually, I think I could. Is that weird?"

"Not at all. It's good! You might already be a very strong blood bender. You might be able to do without the full moon."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, now. Should I try blocking your chi?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, you should try." He said, having confidence in her.

"Alright," she said apprehensively, "And you're sure you're sure?"

"Katara, just do it," he told her. He closed his eyes. He was surprised in how fast he felt himself seize up. He tried to focus on breathing as well as he could, despite how constricted it was.

Katara, again, imagined his chi paths, except this time, she also pictured the places that Ty Lee often pin pointed when blocking her chi in the past. She found one in Zuko's right shoulder. She pinched her fingers which, in turn, had pinched off the connection, stopping the flow of chi. She held the pinch for only a few more seconds, and then released him.

"Try to bend with your right arm," she told him.

Zuko preformed a simplistic fire bending motion with his right arm. When fire was supposed to manifested, it didn't.

"Wow," he said, repeating himself from his amazement earlier.

"I think we should stop for the night," Katara said, hugging her arms.

"Why? You're doing great! We haven't even tried that much."

"Because I wanna make sure I'm not severing your bending abilities for good! Plus…I'm tired." She lied.

"Oh, okay," Zuko replied, looking down, "I don't mean to push you too hard—"

"It's not that just…long day, you know? I'll meditate as much as I can tomorrow and we can practice more tomorrow night."

"Are you going to tell them we're trying this?" Zuko asked. However, they were interrupted by a talking silhouette in the hall way, "Uh, tell us what?" Toph asked.

"Um, that we—" Zuko began, but was cut off.

"Tell us that you're having a secret relationship?" Toph said slyly. The other two starting blushing furiously, saying many things at once, such as, "No!" "It's not what it looks like!" and, "Are you crazy?"

"Cause it sure sounds like it!" Toph said over their arguing, "'I don't mean to push you too hard' _Sparky. _And you said something along the lines of, 'Should we tell them we're _trying this'_?"

Zuko's blush deepened, "No, it's not that at all! We were practicing bending."

Toph sighed sadly, "I was really hoping that you were going to be lying, but you're not."

Zuko folded his arms, smiling with triumph, "Told you it wasn't what it looked like."

"Alright, so what _does_ it look like?" Toph asked, folding her arms as well.

"Zuko is helping me get a better handle on blood bending." Katara explained.

"Ooh! Sugarqueen is getting dangerous!" Toph teased.

"Oh, hush Toph," Katara said, irritated, "I'm doing it for the safety our team. For the safety of Aang!"

"Alright jeez. I get it. Wanna protect your man candy—"

"It's not like that!" Katara shouted, stalking off, stomping up the stairs into the house.

"Good job, Toph. Now she's going to bed angry." Zuko said, turning towards her.

"So what? She'll get over it. She always does." With that, Toph went back into the house.

Zuko, however, stood in the moonlight of the courtyard for a long time, mulling over what had happened tonight, and what it might mean when it comes to his father's demise. But he also wondered something else: Why did Toph _hope_ they were lying? Why would she even jump to a conclusion like their bending practice being a secret relationship instead? _That's crazy! _He thought. _Katara would never even consider being with a guy like me. She obviously wants Aang, but…she said it wasn't like that. Why would she say that?_

Zuko felt his nails digging into his palm. He breathed out steam through his nose. _And why am I so angry? _Zuko stood motionless until the moon had almost drifted out of sight. He then went back into the house. He entered his mother's room, falling face down on the bed. His eyes slid shut, hoping that sleep would take a defiant grip on him.

Finally, it did.

* * *

His dreams were awful. They were always awful. Sometimes they were reoccurring, sometimes new, sometimes completely idiotic in hindsight. Nonetheless, they had always  
been nightmares.

Zuko always had trouble sleeping; his mind always led him to the worst possible places when he slept. He often felt it was his sub conscious telling him to give up, because every path would lead to failure. A prime example was his reoccurring dream in which he was Fire Lord, without his scar, and a blue and red dragon would speak to him. The red dragon always had Iroh's voice, and the blue always had Azula's voice. The blue dragon had always told him to rest, and give up, like he knew he should. However the red dragon always told him to leave and not to give into to the blue dragon's pressure before it was too late. But every time, without fail, the world would crumble beneath him, and he would disappear before he even got to decide for himself. After that, he always heard the call of his name by his frightened mother. "Help me!" she would cry. Yet Zuko could never help. Everything would crumble and collapse before he could try to help. This dream always caused him to wake up in a sweat. More so than usual this time, for he hadn't undressed before he went to sleep.

Sitting up in his mother's bed, he looked in the mirror, touching his scar. _It's still there, _he thought, almost in relief. He looked back down at his legs, then out the window. The sun had risen only a bit. Katara would be up by now. Maybe even Aang. Not Toph though. Recently she had been up with everyone else, but some days she'd sleep in so late. Zuko wondered how she could sleep through all the vibrations she must be feeling with everyone up and about. _Maybe Azula's squishy bed will help._

He decided to get up, venturing outside. He smelled porridge; however it smelled better than it had yesterday. He followed the scent to find Katara serving out bowls, Aang sitting beside her.

"I helped Katara heat the pot today," Aang said announced, taking the bowl Katara offered to him. She offered one to Zuko after, conveniently allowing him to ignore Aang's comment. He took it, noting the new fruits sitting a bag beside the pot. He pulled out a nice and ripe, red apple. He produced the knife given to him by his uncle and began cutting slices. Plopping them into his bowl of breakfast, he took a large first bite. He realized he hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday. Aang took a bite as well, "This is a lot better than yesterday's porridge." Aang commented. Katara gave him a dirty look.

"What he means is the cinnamon spice you added livens it up." Zuko said quickly, saving the avatar from himself. _How ironic,_ Zuko thought.

Katara looked at Aang, raising a brow.

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Aang said, smiling nervously. Katara smiled back, "Well, thank you for noticing," and then she kissed him on the cheek. Zuko had an odd feeling seeing her do that. He had said the real compliment. Why did she kiss Aang? _Why do you care? _A voice said, sounding eerily like Mai. Zuko shook his head, taking another bite.

Slowly, Sokka, Suki and Toph made their way to breakfast, each partaking in a tasty bowl of porridge. There was idle chatter about them; however Zuko ignored most of it this morning. Something about Katara and Sokka and then Toph saying something snotty, but amusing. The fire bender noted how boring their idle routines were, and yet this was the best time of his life, besides when he was happy with his mother, or his uncle.

Zuko was just finishing his breakfast when he heard a jarring sound. It was the simultaneous "What!" from Aang and Sokka.

"Don't get so worked up!" Katara pleaded, "This could really help us in battle. Secret weapons are always a good thing, right?" she looked at Sokka, hoping this would convince him. To no surprise, it did. Probably because of the mention of the word "secret."

"I _do _like the idea of a secret weapon..." He stroked his chin, wishing he still had his fake beard.

"But you don't like blood bending," Aang said quietly, "I wouldn't want you to do anything you wouldn't want to do." Aang placed a hand gently on Katara's. Zuko had now understood what they had been talking about, and wished he had been listening from the beginning. _Did she tell them it was my idea?_

"No, Aang, it's okay. I _want _to work on my skills. It really can help. I can even block a person's chi!"

"Wait, how do you know that you can do that?" Aang questioned. Katara pulled her hand out from under his, and tugged on her hair, "Zuko let me try it on him last night."

Aang looked hurt, then shocked, and then at Zuko, "You let her _blood bend _you?"

"She needed someone to practice on. Everyone was asleep. Plus, it was my idea for her to increase her skill." Zuko wanted to further explain that he didn't force her into this, since he knew Katara didn't like blood bending, but was unable to speak, due to Aang's rising voice: "It was _your_ idea? How could you even _consider _asking her do something like this? You weren't there when she had to blood bend Hama! She said she would never want to do it again!"

"And _you_ were there when she blood bent the Southern Raider's captain!" Zuko snapped. Aang was taken aback. He turned to Katara.

"You blood bent the Southern Raider's captain?"

Katara thought for a moment; and then she set down her bowl of porridge, squaring her shoulders, "Yes I did. And _no,_ Zuko did not _make_ me do anything. He couldn't make me do anything even if he tried." She crossed her arms, "I just wish you would respect my decision," she said more quietly.

Aang's angered expression faltered, and he sighed, "Of course I respect any decision you make, Katara."

"Well, I guess that's settled then." Katara said, sticking her nose in the air.

* * *

At midday, sweat beaded off of the fore heads of a certain fire bender and a certain Avatar as the practiced fire bending. Rather than sparring, they moved in perfect synchronization, preforming a set of fire forms, producing the same amount of fire. After several different fire bending forms, they took a break. Being alone in the courtyard, Zuko decided he would speak with Aang, "I would never make Katara do anything she wouldn't want to."

Aang's bare back faced him; Zuko's heart always stopped for a moment whenever he saw the great scar Azula had left on him. He had a fear that Aang may receive another in the inevitable battle coming up in just four days. But Zuko had never intended on voicing this fear; it wasn't worth scaring the young boy even more.

Aang sighed, still facing away from Zuko, "I know," he replied.

"I'm not a bad person…not anymore at least." Zuko said, watching Aang cross to the dead fountain, picking up a hand towel to wipe sweat from his forehead. Zuko briefly wondered if Katara and Toph were going to fix the fountain.

"I know," Aang said again. He half turned and tossed the towel to Zuko. Catching it, the fire bender wiped the sweat just beneath his hair line.

"Like she said, she wouldn't let me make her anyways."

"I know!" Aang shouted.

"So why are you upset?"

Aang sighed again angrily, "I knew that she decided for herself that she would try to blood bend, I just don't like it."

"Why? She doesn't hurt herself doing it. And she said she could have done more."

"What _did _she do again?" Aang asked tentatively.

"She controlled a little bit of my movements, made me fire bend and blocked my chi in my right arm, which reminds me," he made a flame in his right hand, "It's been restored." Zuko knew that he had bending with his arm right during the training, but wanted to make sure anyways.

"So she bended your chi, huh?" Aang asked.

"Yeah. It was…weird. Nothing like having your pressure points pushed by Ty Lee."

"Hmm," Aang hummed. He started at the stone tiles pensively. He suddenly stood, "I'm going to train with Toph." Zuko tried to stop him, for he had more to teach, but the young avatar had already air bended himself farther than Zuko's voice could carry.

* * *

**Things I'm unsure of:**

**-If any sparring scenes are confusing.**

**-If there are secret mistakes I hadn't noticed.**

**-If anyone is out of character.**

**-If the story is interesting to you.**

**How it can be solved:**

**-Review! **

**I really don't want to be whiny, I just really need to know how I'm doing. .-.**

**I really hope you're enjoying it so far! c:**


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